2) Sarah Palin's use of the term "blood libel" to describe the criticisms levelled at her in the wake of the Tuscon shooting is crazy, of course. One theory is that she found this crimson bauble of a word in an earlier column by Glen Reynolds and used it without knowing the meaning. Another is that she first intended to claim that she was being subjected to a "witch hunt", but didn't want to offend fellow Republican Christine O'Donnel.

19 comments:

What's really creepy is how many on the right are defending Palin's use of the term, including ever reliable Alan Dershowitz, a man who would be railing against the use of the term had a non-conservative spoken it.

Sarah Palin's use of the term "blood libel" to describe the criticisms levelled at her in the wake of the Tuscon shooting is crazy - BCL

Not according to Alan Dershowitz who said:

"There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term . . ."

. . she wouldn't have pulled that gun-site graphic from her Facebook page - BCL

The graphic has no relevance or linkage to any crime anywhere. Whether she left it up or took it down, you would have objected so your criticism is simply hypocritical.

When someone is unfairly slandered with the accusation of being responsible for mass murder, charges the left likes to make without basis in fact, it is imperative that a person defend themselves vigorously from such scurrilous charges. Good on Sarah.

You've lost the argument Paul S. Nice try. Nearly every other American Jewish organization disagrees with you .. only Dershowitz is still pandering for Palin. Rational people everywhere are sick and tired of you Right wing liars and bullies ... move along ...

Glad to see the Palin-porn posters on your wall have no effect on your judgment? BTW your mommy would like you to STOP jerking off into the towels she keeps for guests in the basement bathroom! Cause if you are going to continue to live in your parents basement - you must obey the rules.

Loughner is smiling like a Cheshire cat in his mug shot because he knows the Left is doing everything in their power to find him innocent of the mass killing and pin the blame on a woman from Alaska instead.

Paul S. whined "Loughner is smiling like a Cheshire cat in his mug shot because he" Laughner is smiling like a Cheshire Cat because he is bat shit fucking crazy.

I think Palin may have finally shoot herself in the foot over this issue,... But even if she hasn't, I'm sure she "will reload". Oh and I want Palin to run 2012, that will give her even more "Reload" opportunities.

Why do I suspect that some of the people who are upset at Palin for misusing the phrase "blood libel" themselves have called Gaza a "concentration camp."

I agree with Holly Stick that Palin likely had no insight into the history of the term.

Broadly speaking, there seems to be a sense that this whole tragic episode will finish off Palin. I disagree. I thought she was finished beforehand. Now I think she's been martyred for effectively being an accomplice or accessory to murder, a charge so over the top that she will be the beneficiary of a fair bit of sympathy.

As an American, I don't think anything could generate mass amounts of sympathy for Palin. Opinions are pretty much cemented at this point. She has a devoted fan base who would (literally perhaps) drink any koolaid she might offer them. However, many a good conservative detests her. I know a few of them myself, and they would never be mistaken for progressive or liberal folk in any sense of the word.

One of them describes her every utterance as grating fingernails across the national chalkboard. Not exactly the sentiment one might expect a "persuadable" member of the Republican tent to express openly.

She is, to put it nicely, a bit too obvious in her less than lofty pursuits. Sarah cares about Sarah, and that pretty much is the extent of her attention span.

My real comment tonight, however, is to congratulate BCL for a good find. This particular wrinkle in the events of recent days has thus far slid under the radar to the media, and even many progressive blogs, in the US. It is indeed telling when an official in a party resigns due to fears of violence against him or his family from members of his own party.

The anti-Zionists have appropriated lots of terms from Jewish experience to describe their own experience ("diaspora" being a good and not so provocative example). Society at large also has long used many other terms from Jewish history and broadened their usage ("ghetto" being an example). I don't see "blood libel" as being offensive if it was used to argue that conservatives are collectively being smeared as being responsible for the massacre, a notion that Obama strongly repudiated. If she was using it to refer to herself, it's a little more objectionable, but not such a big deal.